After Abramovich decided to sell the club, the most successful era in Chelsea's history seemed to be coming to an end. The Russian oligarch entered English football in 2003 and changed the overall landscape of football in the country, almost immediately throwing the Blues into the race for the biggest trophy. During his 19-year reign, Abramovich witnessed Chelsea's pinnacle, from the 2005 EFL Cup to last month's Club World Cup, where he won five Premier League titles, five FA Cups and the first two Champions League titles in the club's history. Overall, the West London giants have won 21 trophies since Abramovich took over the club, and while his departure is unlikely to dampen the club's desire to add trophies, there is no doubt that it is the Influence of the Russians that has allowed Chelsea to compete for those trophies. While the trophy is a hallmark of Abramovich's reign, coaches have also changed frequently, with a total of 13 men in Stamford Bridge since 2003.
13. Boas (2011-12)
Honor: No
Win rate: 48%
Boas, once seen as the next Mourinho, was sacked by Abramovic less than nine months after his time at Stamford Bridge, when Chelsea were fifth in the Premier League. Having previously worked under Jose Mourinho and succeeded as a young coach in Portugal, he himself has never played high-level football, which bears a clear resemblance to Chelsea's most successful coach of all time. However, Boas has won just 19 of the 40 games he has played under his administration, and he has the lowest overall winning percentage of any coach hired by Abramovich.
12. Scolari (2008-09)
Win rate: 56%
Scolari came to Stamford Bridge with a high reputation – he was admired for leading Brazil to a World Cup in 2002 – but Chelsea's job was his first time coaching at the club in seven years. Scolari left after just 7 months and 36 games, making him the least game-coaching of Abramovich's appointees. Chelsea were fourth when he left, with Scolari winning 20 of his 36 games in charge, drawing 11 and losing just five.
11. Frank Lampard (2019-21)
Win percentage: 52%
Frank Lampard, Chelsea's finest midfielder ever, has won under many other coaches on the list and is considered Chelsea's greatest player of all time, taking over the squad in 2019. The former England international took over at a difficult time when the club faced a transfer ban that forced him to use a number of youngsters in the first team – some of whom were brilliant youngsters who continued to show the power of the Blues' academy at Stamford Bridge. In this case, leading Chelsea to fourth place and reaching the FA Cup final could be considered the result of Lampard's hard work, but in the end it was the result that cost him, with only Boas having a worse winning percentage in the Abramovic era than he did. When Lampard left after 18 months of coaching, Chelsea were ninth in the Premier League.
10. Ranieri (2000-04)
Wins: 54%
When Abramovich took over the club, Ranieri's days at Chelsea felt like they were coming to an end in the summer of 2004, regardless of how his team performed. The pursuit of Mourinho was the most open secret in football at the time, as Abramovich was looking for a coach he thought could take Chelsea to a new level, meaning Ranieri had spent only one season at Stamford Bridge under the Management of the Russian. It wasn't a bad season either: the Italian led Chelsea to second place in the Premier League, their best in 49 years, only because Arsenal's 'invincibility' was too much against the sky. But Abramovich wanted more, and the popular Ranieri could only leave in the end.
9. Hiddink (2009, 2015-16)
Honours: 1 FA Cup winner
Win rate: 53%
Hiddink is actually very difficult to include in this list, he has served as interim manager twice, but has achieved varying degrees of success. Of course, there are plenty of fans who think his first stint as Chelsea manager should have been longer, leading Chelsea to the FA Cup after succeeding Scolari, but losing just one of the 22 games he has coached, with a win rate of 73 per cent – the highest winning percentage of any manager in Chelsea's history. Ancelotti eventually secured the managerial position in the summer of 2009, but Hiddink was reappointed manager in 2015 after Mourinho's second term ended. The Dutchman coached 27 games during that time, but won only 10 of them in 11 draws, while Chelsea finished 10th in the table, the worst result in 20 years. Hiddink was relieved of most of the responsibility, but his 37 per cent win rate was the lowest since Glenn Hoddell was in charge at Chelsea since 1993-1996, dropping his overall winning percentage to 53 per cent.
8. Rafa Benitez (2012-13)
Honours: 1 Europa League title
Win rate: 58%
Given Abramovich's history against Liverpool during his time at the helm of Chelsea, he is likely to be the most unpopular appointment, and Rafa Benitez's approval rating has not improved as he succeeded club legend Roberto Di Matteo. Previously, Chelsea were the champions of Europe, but due to their failure to qualify in the Champions League group stage the following season, Di Matteo was dismissed and Benitez was invited. Espanyol did their best to save the situation, leading the Blues to their first Ever Europa League title, but ultimately finishing third in the Premier League and a record of 28 wins in 48 games in charge, none of which was enough to persuade Abramovich to leave him behind until after the summer of 2013.
7. Surrey (2018-19)
Win rate: 62%
Sarri was another single-season coaching marvel for Chelsea, leading Chelsea to their second Europa League title in club history and ending the season with a third-place finish in the Premier League. The Italian's excellent win rate, along with the fact that he led Chelsea to the EFL Cup final, put him above Benitez on this list, while Sarri is a manager Abramovic may want to stay longer. Instead, he moved to Juventus after only one season in charge of the Blues, and despite winning the title trophy, he also saw his tactics seriously questioned, and in the EFL Cup final at Wembley, he had a public argument with Kepa when the goalkeeper refused to be replaced.
6. Grant (2007-08)
Win rate: 67%
The appointment of the relatively unknown Grant as his successor after Mourinho's first ouster from Chelsea represents a considerable shift in the direction of Abramovich's management of the club. Chelsea fans were initially unhappy with the decision and eventually developed a favorable view of the new helmsman – thanks to his unbeaten run in 16 games in his early years in power, including a 6-0 win over Manchester City. Even so, Grant led the team to the Champions League final without even Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, where Chelsea's 85 points in the Premier League surpassed Mourinho's last season in charge, with Grant's 67 per cent winning percentage comparable to Mourinho's first season at the club.
5. Roberto Di Mateo (2012)
Honours: 1 Champions League title, 1 FA Cup
Win rate: 57%
Di Matteo already had a place in Chelsea history before taking over as manager after Boas was sacked in 2012, but the fact that he won the trophy in less than nine months in charge ensures he will always be seen as a true club legend. The Italian became one of the greatest caretaker coaches in football history, and only after leading Chelsea to Champions League and FA Cup titles did he receive the formal offer. The 2012 Champions League victories included incredible victories over Napoli and Barcelona in the process of qualifying to the final. In the final, they beat the favourite Bayern Munich at the German's home stadium to receive the biggest honour in the history of European football for the first time. Just two weeks ago, Chelsea beat Liverpool in the FA Cup final. However, Di Matteo was almost eliminated from the Champions League group stage next season and was dismissed. Overall, Di Matteo has only managed 42 games as Chelsea manager – fewer games in the Abramovic era when scolari and Boas have been in charge – but the success he has achieved during that time will never be forgotten by club fans.
4. Antonio Conte (2016-18)
Honours: 1 Premier League title, 1 FA Cup
Win rate: 65%
Conte, one of only three managers to coach Chelsea for more than 100 games during his time at Abramovic, made an immediate impact when he arrived at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea were tenth in the previous season, but the Italians quickly regained their dominance in England, winning 30 of the 38 top flight games in his first season, giving them the Premier League title with 93 points. The Blues also reached the FA Cup final that season, and although they lost at Wembley, they made up for it by beating Manchester United in the final of the following season. However, chelsea's league form showed a marked decline in conte's final season, with they losing 10 games to finish fifth and missing Out on Champions League qualification. Conte's 65% win rate is the best of any official coach in the Abramovic era, but his performance is a two-season story and a lack of consistency keeps him from ranking higher on this list.
3. Carlo Ancelotti (2009-11)
Honours: 1 Premier League champion, 1 FA Cup title, 1 Community Shield champion
Win rate: 61%
Chelsea have been unable to win the title since 2006, but after Carlo Ancelotti arrived at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea somehow returned to the pinnacle of English football. The Blues became the first club in nearly 50 years to score more than 100 goals in the English top flight, scoring 103 goals in the process of winning the title, and the 8-0 win over Wigan became the team's masterpiece of the season, which also showed how terrible their firepower was. Less than a week later, Chelsea won the FA Cup, the club's first ever double and three trophies in Ancelotti's first season, lifting the Community Shield in his first game in charge. The Blues then recovered from a bad time, finishing second in the following season, with premature exits from the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League leading to Ancelotti's dismissal at the end of the season.
2. Thomas Tuchel (2021–present)
Honours: 1 Champions League title, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup
It may seem premature to include Tuchel on the list, but it is a testament to what the German has accomplished in his 13-month job. Although Tuchel has been in charge of Chelsea for over a year, he has led Chelsea to the final of every cup he can play in – something the Chelsea manager hasn't done before. By far the most striking is undoubtedly the club's second Champions League title – won last summer by beating Manchester City – which also made Chelsea lift the European Super Cup and Club World Cup for the first time in its history. Chelsea have been the losing side in the recent FA Cup and EFL Cup finals, but the facts show that as long as Tuchel is still in charge of the team, they can often challenge the honours. The 48-year-old manager has a high winning percentage compared to most of his predecessors and while the fight for the Premier League title may take longer, Abramovich appears to have found a suitable helmsman for Chelsea.
1. Jose Mourinho (2004-07, 2013-15)
Honours: 3 Premier League titles, 1 FA Cup, 2 League Cups, 1 Charity Shield
Win rate: 64%
In 2004, Jose Mourinho declared himself "one of the special" at his first press conference as Chelsea manager, and he subsequently reinforced this arrogant gesture as Chelsea broke the natural order of the Premier League and thus truly put the Abramovic era on track. Backed by unprecedented funding in the Premier League, Mourinho – a Champions League winner from his time in Porto – led Chelsea to a record-breaking during his first season in charge. The Blues lost just one game in the process of winning the top flight for the first time in 50 years, scoring a record 95 points at the time and conceding just 15 goals in the entire season, which is still a Premier League record. Chelsea also won the League Cup that year, and the following season they retained the title with 91 points. Mourinho brought the League Cup and FA Cup doubles in his third year, but the 2007-08 season started disappointingly, with the Portuguese boss winning six trophies in three years and leaving with a 67% win.
However, this was not the end of their relationship, with Mourinho returning in 2013 and adding another League Cup and Premier League title to his trophy cabinet. However, the 2015-16 season had a poor start, with Chelsea losing nine of their 16 league games, leading to Mourinho's second dismissal, with a 59% win rate and an overall 64% win rate in the second season. Mourinho's relationship with Chelsea fans began to deteriorate after coaching rivals Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, but there is no doubt that he was the best coach for Chelsea in the Abramovic era – or any other era.